April 20, 2011

Alienware Introduces M14x and M18x Gaming Laptops

Today Alienware introduced two new additions to its lineup of gaming laptops, the new 14-inch M14x and 18-inch M18x.

The M18x will launch as Alienware's flagship laptop, boasting a massive 18.4-inch 1080p HD WLED display, dual GPU configurations from both AMD and NVIDIA with GDDR5 memory, Intel's new Huron River architecture with factory overclocked Intel Core i7 Extreme Quad Core processors for up to 4GHz clocking speeds, up to 32GBs of memory, HDMI/Display Port output, HDMI input, as well as optional wireless HDMI and integrated NVIDIA 3D Vision support.

On the other hand, the 14-inch M14x will be more geared toward added portability, offering a 14-inch 720p HD WLED display with optional 900p upgrade, NVIDIA GT 555M GPUs with 3GBs of VRAM, NVIDIA Optimus technology, up to 8GBs of RAM, HDMI output, Klipsch speakers, and optional WiMax 4G antenna with support for Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

Also announced today was the new and improved M11x, Alienware's 11-inch gaming laptop, which received a substantial processing and graphics boost with the addition of second-generation Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and NVIDIA's GeForce GT 540M GPU, up from the original Intel Core 2 Duo, i5, i7, and NVIDIA GT 335M processors. The device also now supports up to 16GBs of RAM, Klipsch speakers, HDMI output, and optional WiMax 4G antenna.

The M11x and M14x are available today starting at $999 and $1199, while the M18x will launch in May at $1999.

Is Alienware Working on a Gaming Tablet?

Today at a product briefing for their new 11-inch, 14-inch, and 18-inch gaming laptops, Alienware discussed the possibility of introducing a gaming-centric tablet device.

Though company representatives would neither confirm nor deny that a tablet was in the works, they did say that tablet products were a consideration.

"We're looking at all form factors and how we can provide value to gamers using all of the different factors," Alienware's Product Group Senior Vice President, Frank Azor said. "The answer isn't no, but it isn't also yes yet."

With Apple's iOS-enabled devices, such as the iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone usurping Nintendo and Sony as the largest mobile gaming platform, smartphones and tablets are quickly becoming the next frontier in portable gaming.

Later this year, Sony will introduce the Xperia Play in the United States, the first handset of a larger initiative to expand the PlayStation brand to Android-enabled devices. Similarly, Microsoft is reinforcing its mobile gaming efforts with their Xbox Live-enabled Windows Phone 7 platform.

As a Dell-owned brand, Alienware it would seem that the company could easily leverage their parent company's established resources within the mobile space to craft their own line of supercharged tablets and smartphones. Like the Dell Streak, an Alienware-branded smartphone or tablet would likely take advantage of Google's Android platform, but since the range of complex, graphically intensive mobile games is still somewhat limited, it may be awhile before there is enough justification for a gaming-centric mobile device.